Apple recently notified the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) that it is withdrawing its products from the EPEAT registry and won’t be submitting new products to the registry for environmental rating. The folks over at CIO Journal were given a chance to speak with the CEO of EPEAT, Robert Frisbee, who ended up offering more insight into Apple’s decision:

They said their design direction was no longer consistent with EPEAT requirements. The company did not elaborate. They were important supports and we are disappointed that they don’t want their products measured by this standard anymore.

EPEAT certification requires certain standards that make machines easier to disassemble and recycle using common tools. At WWDC, Apple announced and released the Retina MacBook Pro, which is a device that is difficult to disassemble and therefore ineligible for certification. According to iFixit:

According to my EPEAT contacts, Apple’s mobile design direction is in conflict with the intended direction of the standard. Specifically, the standard lays out particular requirements for product “disassemble-ability,” a very important consideration for recycling: “External enclosures, chassis, and electronic subassemblies shall be removable with commonly available tools or by hand.”

The CIO Reports that the move could have a financial impact on Apple’s sales as many corporations require EPEAT certified computers. The U.S. government also requires 95% of electronics purchases also be EPEAT certified. No one has estimated how this will affect Apple but the decision to not submit to the EPEAT registry is probably one Apple has thoroughly calculated. Furthermore, the move does not seem to affect Apple’s popular iPhone and iPad devices, as they are presently a class of product not certified by EPEAT.

Apple products tend to stay in circulation longer than others though. Many people buy older Macs when people upgrade. And at decent prices too. I have been doing that for awhile. Selling my old Mac to help pay for new one.